Barbara Walters Returns to ‘The View’

For her return to television, Barbara Walters is sticking close to home. Bill Geddie, executive producer of ‘The View,’ announced Thursday that Walters’ first post-surgery TV appearance would be on the popular show she co-hosts and co-created–with a twist.

Walters will join the ladies for some morning sniping from her home via Skype on July 12 – because she’s recovering from heart surgery and apparently doesn’t need the in-studio stress.

In May, the 80-year-old newswoman announced she would be undergoing heart-value replacement surgery, telling the audience: “You know how healthy I have been — never missed a day’s work. Later this week, I am going to have surgery to replace one faulty heart valve. … My doctors and I have decided that this is the best time to do the surgery, since the summer is coming up, I can take a nice vacation.”

Despite speculation Walters might retire – especially following Larry King’s announcement of his plans to do the same (and he’s four years younger) – Walters vacation is apparently over. Although she hosted what she called her last Academy Award special in March, Walters is also scheduled to return to the Sirius radio show, ‘Here’s Barbara’ that she cohosts with Geddie, on July 12.

“There has been so much news the past few months, I can’t wait to start hashing things out,” she said.

What do you think about Barbara’s return to ‘The View’? Have you missed her? Do you think she should keep working a la 91-year-old Andy ‘Eyebrows’ Rooney? Or pack it in like Larry King?